20 December, 2017

Newsletter N° 66, December 2017

Eric Miller

4 pm

A time of transition

Dear Subscriber,

This is the final newsletter of the No Hate Speech Movement youth campaign sent by the Youth Department of the Council of Europe in 2017. Since 2013, this newsletter has provided regular updates on actions by national
campaigns and partners, communicated new developments and mobilised for joint action against hate speech and for human rights, as shown again on 10 December. This is a time of transition. Transition of seasons, transition
to a new year and to new commitments.This newsletter marks also a transition in the No Hate Hate Speech Movement campaign. It marks the end of the coordination of the campaign by the Council of Europe in the current
form. But the work continues: hate speech remains a threat to peace and dignity in Europe. The Council of Europe will keep this issue high on its agenda and the Youth for Democracy programme in 2018-2019. Furthermore,
as almost all national campaigns will continue, the European campaign tools and resources of the Council of Europe will remain available for all to use. This transition is the renewal of a commitment in a different
form. The movement continues and will hopefully grow.

We wish you all a festive seasonal break and an inspiring hate free 2018.

News

Taking action on Hate Speech continues in 2018

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While the European coordination by the Youth Department of the Council of Europe will be decreased, national campaigns continue their work in
2018 through human rights education, awareness raising and cooperation with other stakeholders towards a coherent approach to address hate speech. The Council of Europe work on hate speech with member states will be extended through new formats for standard setting, monitoring and capacity building programmes, building on the legacy of the campaign. The Youth for Democracy programme will keep supporting
campaigning and action against hate speech through human rights education, supporting youth participation in Internet governance and working with groups targeted by hate speech and discrimination.

Between July and October the city of Larissa, Greece, connected high school students, young activists, artists, experts and citizens to show that hate and discrimination have no place in the public discourse in the city.
Educational activities and organising a joint photo exhibition aimed to raise awareness. Young people also made artistic graffiti interventions in the city to change hate speech street art into love speech and spread the message of no hate.

Upcoming Events

Armenian-Croatian training on counter and alternative narratives

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From 2 to 10 February 2018 a training course on taking actions through counter and alternative narratives based on We CAN! will be co-organised by the Armenian and Croatian campaigns in Daruvar, Croatia.

Evaluation and Closing Conference

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On 10-12 April 2018, the Youth Department will organise the Evaluation and Closing Conference of the European level youth campaign in Strasbourg, France.